


The Scent of Peppermint

by Kamahontas



Category: Anastasia (1997)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Childhood Memories, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Engagement, F/M, Family Reunions, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Paris (City), Recovery from amnesia, Together in Paris, Unexpected Engagement, gaining memories back, heartbroken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 17:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20429903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamahontas/pseuds/Kamahontas
Summary: Trying to answer the question "What if Dimitri had gone into Anastasia's room at Sophie's before Marie did?"





	The Scent of Peppermint

**Author's Note:**

> This is a revised and edited version of a story called "What If? No 2" on my FFN account many years ago.
> 
> English isn't my native language, so I apologize in advance for any possible mistakes.

She has never been this disappointed. She hasn’t ever been so hurt. How could she ever fall in live with this liar? He used her, and the fact that she trusted him was only making this even more painful. Dimitri couldn't know that, but she loved him. She loved him with all her heart, and that's why she was so hurt. At this moment she was also angry. No, she was furious. Not only with Dimitri for what he had done, but also with herself for believing him. Anya put her belongings into her valise. As she put there the dress she wore this afternoon, the girl found the rose, which Sophie bought near the Chanel shop. Anya threw the flower into the trash, next to the bed. And then she heard a knocking to the door.

"Go away, Dimitri!" She yelled.

"How did you know it was me?" The familiar voice asked calmly. "Well, never mind, right now... I'm here to apologize."

"What?!” Anya turned around to face him, and gave him an angry look. “You dare to come here, and just say you wanna apologize?! And you think I will listen to you, and maybe more, maybe you think that I'm naive and I will believe you? Get out of here!" She raised her voice hoping it wouldn’t shake.

"You're not naive, Anya. And I understand you might want me to leave, and never go back, nor look for you, but I know I have to try…" He closed the door, and rested his back against it. "You can ask your grandmother if I'm telling the truth. She's downstairs with Sophie."

"My grandmother?!"

"You see, when in the afternoon you were asked how did you escape from the palace during the siege, you said something about a boy who worked there, and opened a wall, so you could run unnoticed…"

"Maybe, but I don't care of what I said or remembered, so leave me alone now!" She was still mad.

"Not until you listen." He said with his voice firm. He never spoke to her that way before. "You told Sophie about a boy, who opened the wall. You weren’t wrong! That’s exactly what happened that horrifying night over ten years ago. Your memory is real. You really are Anastasia!"

"How you can know that?" She asked angrily, trying with all her strength to not start crying.

"Because it was me who opened this damn wall!" He suddenly became irritated too.

"What?!" She gasped, completely astonished.

"Yes, Anya, I was this kitchen boy, who showed you the way to the back of the place."

"Why you didn't say that before?!" She asked finally able to say something more than just monosyllables. 

"I tried, but you didn't allow me!” He replied a little louder than he intended. He couldn’t help being anxious.

"And why you never mentioned you were taking me to Paris only to get the money?!" Now she had tears in her eyes. She was too hurt to stop the tears forming in her eyes.

"Because I was too greedy. Because I was a fool, who thought only fortune could give happiness. Now I know I was wrong, because only home, love and family are important. Just like you told me so many times. When I went to talk to the Empress tonight, I didn't want the reward anymore, all I cared of was you to have your family back." Dimitri admitted frankly.

"Why?" Anya asked softly. Her anger started to melt away as she heard how sincere Dimitri was at this moment.

"Because… Oh, never mind. I just wanted you to know the truth. Now I can leave. Farewell, Your Highness." He said with a bow, and left the room.

"Dimitri, wait!" She cried, as she ran after him.

"Did you call me, Anastasia?" He asked, as he turned round on the stairs.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, for not listening to you before. That I slapped you and escaped."

Dimitri couldn't say a word; he was in a too deep shock.

"Please, talk to me!" She pleaded in a shaking voice. She didn't pay any more attention to her acts, and clenched the edges of his jacket. "Say something at last, you bastard!" She cried feeling that her emotions started to take her over.

"Anya…" His voice stopped in his throat, so he put he held her tight, and without any word he led her back to the room. He then closed the door behind them, locking it. Next, Dimitri forced the girl to sit on the bed. "It's alright now. Nobody can hear us." He said soothingly.

"Why you don't want the money? Why you almost gave up your life for me?" Anya asked still sobbing. 

"For the same reason I was so happy to be close to you, to spent at least few seconds only in your company. I di this for the same reason I nearly kissed you on the deck of Tasha." He put his hand upon her wet cheek. "Anya… I tried to tell you this before…"

"But was it me again, who didn't let you?" She asked swallowing her tears.

"Well, on the ship it was your crazy mutt." Dimitri chuckled. He slowly was himself again. "But when I was to tell you this in the Opera, I stopped, because I already knew who you really were. Yes, Anya, I love you, but… I have to leave. I don't belong here. You're the princess, and you have your family back, so please do me this favor and enjoy it. Don't look for me, nor try to remember."

She ignored his last words, and threw her arms around his neck. They were so close. He never thought her eyes might have such deep blue color. Anya was desperate to tell him how much she loved him, but she couldn't say a word. She had to find another way, so she pressed a passionate kiss to his lips. She felt so right against him, her lips were so soft, that Dimitri couldn't resist. He returned the kiss. The two lasted in their caress for long, happy to hold one another. She pulled him closer, causing both of them to lay down on the bed. They never broke the kiss until they had to, when they heard knocking to the door again. Quickly Dimitri let Anya off of him, and stood up from the bed, so she could open the door. As she did, she saw an old woman. The one Dimitri pointed at when they were watching the ballet only a few hours ago.

"Oh." Anya gasped. "I… thought…"

"I know very well, what you thought." The Empress answered with a cold tone of her voice.

"So… I will let you talk in private." Dimitri said politely. "Your Highness." He bowed in front of Marie and left Anya alone with the Empress.

"Who exactly are you?" As soon as Dimitri was gone, the old lady began her questions.

"I was hoping you could tell me…" Anya replied gently, giving Marie a sad look.

“My dear, I'm old. And I'm tired of being conned and tricked.” Marie remained cold and irritated.

“I don't want to trick you.” Anya was slowly losing hope that she might ever find out who she really was. She stayed strong though.

“And I suppose the money doesn't interest you, either?” The Empress asked acidly.

“I just want to know who I am. Whether or not I belong to a family. Your family.” Anya knew it was her last chance. If she wouldn’t convince the Empress at this point, she would be Anya-the-orphan forever…

"You're a very good actress. The best yet, in fact. But I've had enough." Marie lost her patience and started to walk towards the door. Anya thought everything was lost, but then all of the sudden she coughed a scent, which brought back a blurry memory, yet it was becoming more and more intense with every second.

“Peppermint?” The girl asked trying to remember more than only the smell that was slowly filling the room.

“An oil for my hands.” Marie explained, as she slowed down her steps.

“Yes.” Anya smiled remembering something from when she was little. “I spilled a bottle. The carpet was soaked,” her smiled grew wider as the memory became even more vivid, “and it forever smelled of peppermint. Like you.” She noticed that the Empress stopped and as she turned around she sat on the chair near the door, so Anya continued. “I used to lay there on that rug and, oh, how I missed you when you went away. When you came here, to Paris.” The girl said thoughtfully, rubbing her eyebrow with her index finger, while she walked up to Marie. She risked sitting next to the old woman. Maybe not everything was lost after all.

“What is that?” Marie asked as she noticed Anya’s necklace.

“This?” Anya asked softly. “Well, I've always had it, ever since before I can remember.” She explained.

“May I?” Marie asked, so Anya took it off and handed to the Empress. “It was our secret. My Anastasia's and mine.” The old woman was deeply touched and tears started to form in her eyes.

“The music box.” Anya remembered all of the sudden. “To sing me to sleep when you were in Paris.” The princess gently took the locket from her grandmother and opened the music box, humming the melody she remembered from her childhood. She remembered every single word of the lyric and started to sing out loud. This fully convinced Marie that she indeed had her grandchild in front of her.

"Oh Anastasia! My Anastasia!" Marie was touched, as she held her granddaughter.

"Grandmamma! At last I've found you." Anya was happy as she never been before.

"I thought I lost you. I was afraid you died!"

"No, I was found wounded, and wandering around near the train station. Then, I was taken to an orphanage near the city. I couldn't remember anything. All I had was this locket, so I knew I had to go to Paris if I want to find my family."

"And you did. But how comes the con-man brought you to me?"

"Oh, it's a very long story. But I just had to see him to get visa, and instead of getting the documents I went for a voyage with Dimitri and his friend Vladimir."

"Dimitri is pretty well known. He's a very skilled con-man."

"He is. He tricked me, but we explained everything. Grandmamma, we've fallen for each other… Now when I know who I am…"

"I understand. Then, I have to talk to him once again…"

"But, can we wait with this? Now I'd like to spent some time with you… You have no idea how much I missed you." The girl held the Empress.

"It's a good idea, my dear." Smiled Marie. "And I think we should tell Sophie that we've found each other."

The two women slowly went down to join Sophie in her living room. Anya hoped to see Dimitri, but he wasn't there. As she entered the rooms the girl was smiling, but now she frowned.

"What happened?" Asked Sophie.

"Where's Dimitri?"

"Oh, he said he had something to do, and he should be back soon."

"So, he will be back here?" Anya asked with hope.

"At least he said so."

The young princess sighed with relief.

"Sophie, if you were to meet any girls pretending to be Anastasia, you can sent them off, as soon as they will come here. I already found my granddaughter." Marie was happy to announce this.

Sophie smiled happily.

"I know, Dimitri already told me everything."

"Everything?" Asked Anya.

"Yes. And I guess that's why he went off…"

Sophie knew very well what Dimitri was planning, but she kept the secret, until he was back an hour later.

"Honestly, Anya, you thought I left forever." He laughed as he took the girl into his arms.

"Well, yeah, for a while…"

"Your Majesty," now he was in front of the Empress. "I know that I have nothing, and I was only a kitchen boy, but I love your granddaughter more than life itself, and I… I'd like to ask for her to be my wife…"

The three women looked at Dimitri astonished. Did he really ask this?

"I see you really love her." Marie smiled seeing how sincere Dimitri is. "Very well then. You have my blessing" The old woman’s face brighten up with a warm smile. She knew that Anastasia could be happy only with Dimitri. It was enough to look at them together to be certain.

Now the man knelt in front of Anastasia.

"Anya, I know that I've done too many bad things to you, but only an hour ago, you told me you've forgiven me…"

"Of course I did, Dimitri! Because now I know you didn't use me. You didn't want this money."

"I'm glad you believe me.” He replied with a tender smile. He loved Anya with all his heart and his only dream was spending the rest of his life by her side. Dimitri looked deeply into his beloved one’s eyes and asked: “Anya, will you marry me?"

Anya knelt too, so she could look into Dimitri’s brown eyes. They were alone in the room, for a moment only looking in each other’s eyes, but then Anastasia smiled lovingly and softly brushed Dimitri’s cheek with her fingertips. 

"Of course I will! Even tonight." She replied and their lips met in a passionate kiss filled with endless love. The couple knew that this was their perfect beginning. The beginning of their life together.


End file.
